Slowboat to Hades:  A Gorillaz Challenge
by Wordwryhta
Summary: Can you imagine what would happen if all of the authors on the Gorillaz site got together to write a story?  Well, here's your chance to do just that.  Read inside for the details!  Genre changed to "General".
1. Wordwryhta

**Okay, the first chapter of the Slowboat to Hades challenge is here.**

**If you haven't signed up, don't worry. You can still get your name added to the list, no worries. Just go to -bammie-'s or my profile pages and read the rules. We want scads of people signing up for this. Writing ability is NOT a factor.**

**NOTE: The rules are also listed after the chapter**

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Is it stereotypical to say that Murdoc Niccals was wearing only a jockstrap and combat boots while sunning lazily in a white lawnchair on the rotten coastline that made up Plastic Beach? If so, is it also stereotypical to say that he was drinking alcohol while performing this particular task? What about if he was scanning his plastic paradise as a tyrant would observe his kingdom, with a profound sense of self-satisfaction? It is? Well, Murdoc Niccals was being very stereotypical one Saturday morning as the dull yellowish-orange sky that seemed to follow the Plastic edifice floated benignly overhead.

Plastic Beach **was** his kingdom and he **was** the tyrant. At least that's what he thought that Saturday morning. The events that follow will surely call his rulership into question, but as for now, we will allow him to be content in his certainty.

The sound had begun as a low hum across the ocean somewhere to the southeast of the small island, and, for some time, was so insignificant that it seemed beneath the Satanist's haughty attentions. All too soon, the droning noise became so invasive, however, that Murdoc lazily lifted his eyelids and lazily rolled his eyes in the direction of the sound.

A small silver speck could be seen on the horizon as it swathed a path through the sky. This gave the bassist little cause for alarm as planes were often seen flying overhead, and he returned to the the rather important matter of not paying any attention to anything around him.

Too soon, however, the low buzzing noise of the plane grew too loud for him to concentrate on this task, and he jerked himself out of his chair, spouting obscenities under his breath as he watched the rather large plane draw closer. It was a cargo plane, and obviously it had something for the inhabitants of the island.

"Probably more food," he muttered quizzically to no one in particular (especially since there was no one in particular around to hear him) even though he was quite sure that they had just received their month's worth of rations a few days ago.

His eyes narrowed as the large silver bombay doors of the large silver plane opened and a large brown box was pushed free.

"What the hell is this?" the bassist growled as the box descended and it became increasingly obvious that this was no normal box. It was, for lack of a better word, a crate. A large crate. A very, very large crate.

Swift calculations from Murdoc's brain told him that he better move from his spot on the beach, and, as the massive parachutes that would keep the crate from smashing itself into the ground deployed, he scrambled to grab his Margarita and the various nudie magazines he had been perusing when the mood had struck him. He gave up the lawn chair as lost and scrambled madly for the safety of the lighthouse, which stood nearby.

With a loud woosh and a crunch, the box landed on the beach, causing the entire island to lurch slightly from the sheer massive weight it was now being forced to endure. Murdoc, upon scanning the sky to ensure that no other surprise monstrous boxes were following the initial monstrous box, took a tentative step toward it as though he were a man who had just killed another man and was slinking toward the deceased to ensure that he was, in fact, dead but positively sure he wasn't and was waiting for the other to spring up at any moment and shout, "Aha! You thought I was dead!" or some other such nonsense.

By all appearances, this crate appeared to be like any other crate. That is, except for its massive size. It towered above his head to a height of at least twelve feet and expanded another twelve feet on either side of him. Stamped in large red letters on all sides was the word "fragile," as though it were a comically blown-up version the crate Noodle had arrived in nine years ago. But, unlike Noodle's crate, there were no air holes, so he could at least determine that there wasn't anything living inside of it.

He was walking around the large crate in order to scan it from all sides when he spied a small, white piece of paper taped to one wall. Upon closer inspection, Murdoc determined that the paper was not small at all, but a normal sized piece of paper. It just appeared to be small against the vast expanse of the crate.

He considered the idea of going to get 2D to come and examine the box more closely so that he would get the full force of any surprises that the box may contain, but he knew Noodle would not hear of it and would make him do it instead. So, determining that he would have to be the one to inspect the box anyway, he walked toward the piece of paper and pulled it off of the crate.

Murdoc spluttered as he read the contents of the label aloud:

TO: Noodle Hobbs

48° 52′ 36″ S, 123° 23′ 36″ W

Plastic Beach, ?

FROM: Pottery Barn

704 Prince Street

Weehawken, NJ 07086

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**Okay, -bammie-. You're up!**

**Here's the challenge, if you missed it:**

Slowboat to Hades: A Gorillaz Challenge

Okay, so -bammie- and I were talking, and we were lamenting on how boring the site has gotten lately. We thought, why not throw something fun in the mix that would at least give those of us involved a good giggle? Here is what we came up with:

The idea is kind of a modified "around" story. You know where someone gives the first line, then the next person fills in the next line, etc.

We won't be writing it line by line, but chapter by chapter.

Here's how it works: I will begin a story by writing a chapter. Then, I will send the chapter to -bammie- with a challenge to write the next chapter. -Bammie- will do so and send off two copies of it: One to me and the other to the next person involved in the challenge who in turn writes the next chapter, and sends it to me and to thenext person. I will publish all the chapters as I receive them, giving credit where it is due to the author of each chapter. That way everyone gets a piece of the action.

We can get as cheesy as we want, because it's for fun, and who cares who likes it? It takes off some of the pressure of writing, but it gets us all involved in the site again.

Here's how it will go down:

If it sounds like fun, pm me or -bammie-. EVERYONE IS INVITED!

Let's leave the review page for actual reviews, please.

Once we have compiled a list of all who are participating, -bammie- and I will post this list on our profiles. Simply choose the person you want to challenge when your turn comes.

**REMEMBER TO SEND TWO COPIES OF YOUR CHAPTER: ONE TO THE NEXT CHALLENGEE AND ONE TO ME! IT IS _VITAL_ THAT YOU SEND ONE TO ME!**

The chapter must be between 500 and 1000 words in length (that way, there isn't too much pressure on any of us).

If you ask me, I will edit your chapter (please, God, some of you, ask me!). I promise, I will only edit for grammar unless asked.

Wait to write your chapter until you are challenged.

No sendbacks! Don't send your chapter to someone who has already written one. We want everyone to have the same opportunity to participate.

Sorry guys, it's a 2DXNoodle story, and it will be listed as such.

Each chapters' title will be the name of the author, so there will be no question as to who wrote it.

At the bottom of each chapter in the author's note, please write in bold to whom you are sending the next challenge to in order to cut down on confusion.

No lemons, please, but mild fluff is okay. Let's keep it at an even "T" rating.

Let's try to keep the mood light. There's been too much angst on the site lately. (Yea, I know)

Keep up with the story to make sure you are up to date on what's going on.

REMEMBER, changing the direction in which things are going is okay, but ignoring what has happened before to further your idea of what you think should occur is NOT.

Be prepared to wait a couple or a few weeks before your turn comes, but be sure to keep an eye out on the site for new updates, or favorite the story and have FFN keep up with it for you.

And most of all HAVE FUN! This is meant to get the site going again, not to get out your personal issues out in the open


	2. bammie

**Wordwryhta: Second chapter! Some of you may be unaware of this, but the first chapter was added as well, so read it to get caught up on what the mysterious box is. Rock on, -bammie-**

**-bammie-: Not much progress in the plot, sorry, But I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I was going to put in that crate. So I took some time developing a little bit of 2D and Noodle since this is a story about them and they weren't mentioned much in the previous chapter. Which, by the way, was wonderfully written by Wordwryhta. Thank you for giving us an amazing opening :D xX

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"Gemini, Ge- here it is!" Noodle vigorously scanned the magazine in her hands, she had spent the last ten minutes wading though all of the garbage written by so-called 'journalists,' searching for the horoscope section. She knew, of cause, that star signs held about as much scientific validity as a Disney character, but still she read each and every word intently. She liked to ponder on the idea of fate. For all she knew, it could have been fate that brought her to the Gorillaz in her youth. It could have been fate that guided her to Plastic Beach, to Murdoc, Russel, and 2D. Yes, fate had brought her to 2D.

The young guitarist peered over the booklet obscuring her view and let jade eyes wander around the cluttered confines of the recording studio. She had found a comfy spot to settle herself in about and hour ago when she joined their singer in the midst of an activity he liked the call 'genius-ness or sumfink'. In reality he would randomly play chords on a keyboard and hope for some sort of melody to arise from mashed, chaotic sounds emitting from the instrument. Every now and then he was partly successful; currently however, he was not.

Noodle heard the sound of the keyboard being conveniently discarded on the floor as she watched the blue haired vocalist's lanky frame move towards her. 2D planted himself on the floor and sat cross-legged before the young woman, reminiscent of a child awaiting a bedtime story. Noodle gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to the magazine in her hands; she cleared her throat before speaking.

"Gemini, toils and trials await you today, it may be easy to lose your head, but refrain, as you may be the one to lend wise words to those in need." Noodle couldn't help but giggle at the last part.

"Well, I am feelin' kinda wise today." The singer stated proudly as he lifted his chin up tapping his fingers against it. However the illusion of greatness was foiled as he displayed tired, black eyes and a goofy grin; causing yet another fit of laughter to erupt from the guitarist.

"Wait, I'm not finished." Noodle protested, struggling to catch her breath. She lifted a small hand to her face and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath and attempted to read again. "Friendships may turn out as something more; love leads you to a Scorpio."

Pupils within green irises began to dilate as blood rushed to redden pale cheeks. Noodle could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat at that very moment. Quickly, the young woman buried her head in the magazine and began to giggle again in an extremely girlish manor. SHE was a Scorpio.

However the clueless singer just grinned at her, not knowing the full reasoning behind her embarrassment. Maybe it was his immature demeanor, or his willful ignorance, that prevented him from taking a deeper look at his interactions with Noodle. He knew there was some underline tension, something driving them both closer together, but chose to shield it under the cover of their playful, almost childish relationship.

"Wot's yours say lil-love?" He questioned, reaching over, attempting to take the article from her grip. He felt the wrath of Noodle, as she forcefully intervened; snatching the magazine away with one hand and pushing him back with the other. She laughed, teasing and testing him. The guitarist climbed to full height, holding the paper high above his head.

"Is this one of your trials, oh great wise one?" She mocked, looking down at him, displaying a cat-like grin.

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The whole structure of Plastic Beach violently shook on impact, as the impossibly large crate strained and cracked Murdoc's plastic paradise. As vigorous as the original impact was, it didn't take long for the previously occupied guitarist and singer to cease their activities and join an infuriated Murdoc on his plastic coastline.

"Yer bloody shipping things 'ere without my permission now?" The bassist frantically pointed an accusing finger to the young Japanese woman as soon as he witnessed her form come into view. He waved the piece of paper in front of her, awaiting her reaction. Instead of her usually snappy retaliation, Noodle stayed silent. She froze as her eyes fell wide and her jaw dropped slightly. She stood there, motionless, for a few moments as 2D caught up with her, inevitably displaying the same reaction as the guitarist.

Murdoc shifted himself around to join his band mates, staring up at the gargantuan obstruction in both wonder and annoyance. It took a few awkward moments of silence before any audible response came from any of them.

"It's here!" Noodle simply exclaimed in a voice that was a higher pitch than she was accustomed to. She threw her arms up in the air and frantically ran towards the crate, examining the outside structure, figuring out a way to get inside.

2D and Murdoc watched the in both anticipation and dread, whatever lingered within the crate was surely going to complicate their seemingly simple life on Plastic Beach. The vocalist eagerly tapped Murdoc on the shoulder.

"Wot do yew fink it is?"

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**The lot has fallen to you, Psychic City.**


	3. Psychic City

**Wordwryhta: Loving this story. Keep it up, guys! Remember to sign up for the challenge if you want to try your hand at this story.**

**Psychic City: It took me forever to figure out what I wanted to put in that crate. First I considered the option of not putting anything into the crate at all. But that would leave the next person in line to come up with something and I figured I would put an end to the chain myself. Thus, it hit me. It was so easy. Why I do not own one of these, I will never know...**

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Last chapter wonderfully written by -bammie-, and now its my turn to pick up from where she left off. Excuse me if I've completely butchered anywhere that this story was going, or if I've made it hard to continue off of.

Psychic City

Murdoc Niccals breathed out. "Wot do yew fink it is?", the man had asked him, and in response Murdoc tossed a bitter look in the vocalist's place.

"Wot do I think it is, eh?" he mimicked, slurring ever so slightly. Despite the fact that it had barely been even noon, Murdoc found that he was a bit more intoxicated than he had perhaps anticipated. But, what else was there to do on a deserted island? He was stuck there with a bloody idiot, a robot, and her real-life twin. So, maybe he did have a tad bit too much to drink... but in his mind, he really didn't need much of an excuse. "If it ain't a crate filled with bloody 'ookers I couldn' give a shit."

2D's face scrunched up, considering the bassist's statement and then the box. "But," he inquired, tilting his head and squinting in the harsh sun, "why would Noodle orda' a crate full a' 'ookas, Muds?" Murdoc's shoulders deflated. He poured the remaining contents of his drink into his throat and didn't even bother wincing at the harsh intensity of it; by now, it had seemed, he had grown an immunity to it. He glanced away from 2D and his sunburnt skin. The boy had never bothered to put sunscreen on and Murdoc had begun patiently waiting for the day when the dullard's entire body would peel. Well, at least he'd had something to look forward to.

His feet were growing tried and hot as they sat bare on the surface of the sizzling hot sand covering Plastic Beach. And yet the nineteen year old Noodle looked overwhelmingly happy in front of him, digging excitedly in front of the massive wooden crate as if she were nine years old all over again. He tapped his foot, huffing to make it known that his patience was, in fact, growing rather thin. "Wot ever it is, girly," Murdoc mused, narrowing his eyes cautiously, "you've got about five seconds to get it out before I ship it back."

"Bastard," Noodle huffed out of the corner of her mouth. Murdoc didn't even flinch. Ever since Noodle had arrived back on Plastic Beach, she had become more of an adult. Perhaps Russel had taken the most time to get used to the fact that his 'baby-girl' was really not much of a baby or a girl anymore. Thus, as much of a woman as Noodle had become, her confidence with spitting back at Murdoc had grown, too. Instead, the Satanist had come to expect much. At least from Noodle; she was a strong little kid to begin with. Now if 2D had ever spoke to him like that, Satan knew it would have been a different story.

"Watch yer mouth," Murdoc muttered just for the sake of it and while doing so the tiny white cigarette bobbed up and down from in between his lips. There was, however, no real substance to his statement. His face remained blank and his comment went otherwise unacknowledged. Noodle had taken up a rather intense fascination with the crate, and 2D was beginning to look a bit lost. Yet, the boy's haziness was not much of a surprise to Murdoc, really. He had drugged his coffee only a while before.

And with that, Noodle yanked the top of the massive crate open.

The large door of the wooden box fell open, smacking the beach ground with full force. Thus the sand popped up, sprinkling the wood and sending a shaky boom through the island before the world fell silent again. Hands on her hips, Noodle backed away, a toothy smile etched upon the half of her face that stuck out from underneath her heavy bangs. She stared within the crate with thrilled admiration, her grin double when she heard Murdoc scoff from behind her, "A giant egg? You shipped us a fuckin' egg?"

Noodle tilted her head, her purple hair falling across her face to reveal one that was rather very pretty. "Not an egg," she said, considering the thing, "a Sunball."

"A Sun-wot?" Murdoc called after her, staring back at the thing with an entirely new facial expression. Yet he managed to appear slightly intrigued. Certainly he had realized that Noodle had grown into a woman, but he really had not anticipated her ordering sex toys to Plastic Beach.

"Sunball... sun-ball," Noodle clarified, "it is a lounge chair." She had to admit that, shut, the thing did look very much like a massive white egg. However, she strode over to the thing and lifted it open, revealing a hidden seat, long and comfortable enough for two people. "You can open it and sunbathe," Noodle pointed out, gesturing to the wide leg rest at the bottom of the thing, "or you can shut it and have privacy."

2D let a fascinated smile slip across his face. He staggered away from his spot, still unfazed by the distinct wobble that he had taken to his step. Murdoc watched his singer advanced towards Noodle and her Sunball seat, half expecting him to keel over right then and there. When he did not, however, he couldn't help but feel a little let down. "Tha's a vintage, Noods" 2D pointed out, sounding rather boyish, as if he had opened a rather impressive present on Christmas morning. "'Ow we gonna fit it inside?"

Murdoc cocking his thumb towards the lounge chair. He had to admit it was nice, relaxing-looking, as if it would work rather nicely for a little shag. However, he did not express his admiration for it aloud. Instead, he made a face and continued to jab in its direction. "'O said that thing is comin' inside?" Murdoc growled.

"Russel," Noodle announced, giving Murdoc a warning glare that made the man roll his eyes in response, "Russel's going to help me shove it through the window."

Grimacing, Murdoc stole a glance over at Russel's large brown dome of a head out in the distance of the shoreline. Since ballooning up to a rather impressive size, he had spent most of his time enjoying the water until Murdoc could find a way to shrink him down to normal again. Either way, the music-man seemed to enjoy the deep blue. However, much to Murdoc's horror, Russel had also spent his time distracting the whale he had hired to torture 2D in the process. "Bloody yank," he hissed, deciding not to press the matters any further.

"Besides," Noodle said again, realizing her victory with a sense of pride, "I think it'll look splendid next to the pile of rubbish you keep up in that place, anyway." She grinned back at Murdoc childishly before turning back to 2D. "What do you think, 'D?"

"I fink it's brilliant!" 2D gaped, watching the glorious Sunball with wide-eyes. His gaze fell from the lounge seat to Noodle, and from the distance Murdoc could sense a rather shy look on the drugged out singer's face. The blue haired man looked timidly at Noodle, whose attention remained with her silly Sunball, and deliriously he said out loud, "really, really brilliant."

The bassist lifted an eyebrow. "Ya talkin' abou' tha chair, aren' ya?" he asked, yet once again carried on quite ignored. Since Noodle's arrival on Plastic Beach, things between her and the dullard had been rather shy. Neither of the two seemed to want to offend one another, and they each acted carefully in the other's presence. Murdoc had been more curious than anything, though Russel had also seemed to catch on.

Whatever the cause for their weird behavior, Murdoc certainly could not place a grimy finger on it. But he had to admit that he'd grown tired of 2D standing up whenever Noodle entered the room for dinner, or Noodle watching from her window curiously as 2D sunbathed alone. The two seemed to avoid real conversation, as if doing so might ruin a bond that had been built long ago. Russel had assumed that the two feared change in one another. Murdoc didn't really know what to assume.

"Oi!" Murdoc called from behind their two shadows, "ya 'ear me?" Neither of the two shifted. Apparently not.

At her side, 2D's face paled, he swallowed a bit of what Murdoc knew to be oncoming bile and stumbled slightly at his spot. Momentarily, he glanced at his shaking hands, trying to decipher what could have possibly have led him to have started to feel so undoubtedly dizzy. A new smile spread across Murdoc's face. Oh good, he thought excitedly, now for some fun. "Hey, Noods?" 2D asked, looking all the more uneasy as time passed slowly by the three.

Noodle finally brought her attention away from her Pottery Barn order. Blinking, she turned towards 2D. When she glanced back at him, a slight blush had tainted her otherwise pale face. "Yea?"

"Fink I could, uh... try tha' out now for a moment?" The lanky man's face had dropped. One of his hands clutched his head, and the other seemed to dive feverishly within the confines of his trouser pocket. He knew that his sudden nausea was not due to a migraine. Behind his back, Murdoc tossed his cigarette readily over his shoulder. He'd been anticipating this for as long as he could remember. Still, he stepped on the butt of his burnt out fag and strode forward nonchalantly.

Noodle's face dropped, as well. "Sure," she said and looked solemn as 2D gave her a shaky smile before wobbling towards the thing. He flopped down on the gold mattress, retrieved his pain killers, and downed a hefty amount of them dry before leaning back and running his palm over his transparently white visage.

"Mmm," he breathed from behind the curtain of his long fingernails, "fis really is somefink, Noodle." And then, within a blink of an eye, he'd slumped into a fast sleep before her.

Murdoc's grin widened. He did not, however, expect the guitarist to catch on to him so fast. "You didn't," she started, her shoulders deflating by her skinny neck.

"Didn't wot?" Murdoc shrugged, reaching back into the pockets of his pants to find his cigarette pack. Once he found the rectangular thing, he pulled it from his clothing, slipped open the lid and plucked out a half-yellow stick, placing it between his lips, rather proud of himself. "Fag?" he then asked Noodle, gesturing towards her with the box.

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**Plastic Emotion, it's all you.**


	4. Plastic Emotion

**Wordwryhta: It's getting so good. I hope you're enjoying each writers' contributions as much as I am. Want to be part of the contributions? Then give me a click, and pm me. I'll be happy to add your name to the list. Be patient, your time will come ;D**

**Plastic Emotion: I do apologize for the wait. I've been busy with two studio art courses and of course, my own personal art among three other classes. But every day I did my best to think where to go with this, and when I finally sat to write, it came to me, which I'm pleased with. And now, without further ado. **

...

The carton was smacked out of the man's hand before he had fully extended his arm. Ignoring the fact was the best thing the Brit could do, pulling out a lighter as he shielded the end of his cancer stick from the rough, choppy winds of Plastic Beach. A peace offering, and this was how she thanked him, arms crossed firmly over her small chest, glaring out those dazzling emeralds under all that violently cut hair. And with a face like that, it only brought attention to the bruise cleanly healing up around that right eye, the specifics of its origins still a mystery shrouded in the murky darkness. He could almost see the anger pulsing in sclera of the eye, a faded red from the vessel damage. Much more and her brains would be pouring from her ears, cooked and ready to serve, right next to Super Fast Jellyfish, just in time for breakfast. Or mid day snack, rather.

"So ridiculous, it's disgusting." the young woman sneered, the insult obviously sniped at her elder taking a long and hard drag to slowly release into the toxic air of his beach. The bassist smirked, twirling the fag between his middle and ring while pointing at her straight on, "Yo' Uncle Muddy never disappoints, darlin'. I'm the alpha male, yeh know that." Giving it a sharp tap, he rid the butt into the sand, or air, tucking his thumb between the elastic band holding his only form of clothing onto his body. Tan lines...There was one odd design...or concept...he hadn't thought about. Oh, well. "I believe you've changed for the worst." muttered the Asian, locking eyes with the bassist when he glanced up momentarily to only turn on his heel towards the entrance. Rubbing her fingers along her sockets, she grumbled incoherent grunts of self purification, cursing the creator of open ended jockstraps and venders who sold them to men like Murdoc. "Me? Nah...Never change. I am wot I am...I ain't the one 'ew's changed." he called over his shoulder, waving the cigarette in the distance.

Noodle sat alongside the singer's motionless body, save for the shallow amounts of air his lungs were managing. And like that she sat for more than an hour in the baking sun, eyes rarely leaving the poor man's face. As much as she despised to agree, Murdoc held some truth in his words on rare occasions. Fate had destined her to be here, and with determination, she had made it happen...but at what costs? Years had gapped between them. Confusion had even led to a replica of herself. Leave it to Murdoc and his insanity. And even 2D had thought she had been a strange and reoccurring hallucination from the drugs or paranoia feeding off him down below in that prison cell Murdoc liked to call a room. Since her arrival with Russel, things had flown into better winds, 2D's sanity especially, and their bond stronger than ever. Neither needn't say it. These things were understood. But to what extent?

As Noodle tucked her left arm under her head, her right hand gently brushed along the singer's, revving up an engine in her chest. She slowly glanced to her right, his face calm and tender (and a bit sunburned), cheek pressed up against the plush cushion. Within the hour he had rotated onto his belly, and somehow closer to her, his nose nearly pressed against her bicep. She could feel his muggy breath whistling soundlessly through the gap, and instead of outer discomfort, adding onto the sticky air of the tropics, it brought a cold sweat beginning right under her skin, teeth almost chattering from what she could only deem as a burst of nerves. "_Calm yourself_," she repeated, mentally throttling herself as she remained calm and relaxed alongside the young man. "_I've touched him before...this should be no different_."

But it was.

How she longed for him to grasp her hand back, or even tickle with wiggly fingers along the back of her hand. For him to cradle up in her arms whenever fear struck his heart, or empathy struck hers. To run her fingers down his stubbled cheeks and pinch his neck close while he supported her in his gawky way she loved so mu-...love. Her cheeks flamed darker than any burn could threaten her with as she imagined the gentle affection she would pull from his lips, or perhaps the rough desire he would have from hers, and maybe they would want more. Could be more.

She only took notice of her dry throat when she attempted to swallow in embarrassment. She _had_ changed...and so had her feelings for the young man from Crawley. She was no longer that hyper teen ready to explode with creativity and hormones to boot. She had grown...gotten snarky when prodded, learned to defend and hold her own. She was woman now. But...would 2D understand? _Could_ he understand? She wasn't a child anymore...but deciding the first move...

The bluehead's eyes lazily lifted for a moment, craning his neck up from the slight dumbed down drool he so often received as a side effect from a toxic Murdoc mix. His nose pressed up against her arm as he tried to move it with care, though everything he had taken did get him a bit heavy headed after a nap. Waking up from one dream world into the next was never a fun adventure for the poor lad, but in this one, there seemed to be a beacon of hope peering down at him with the loveliest of faces. If he could only touch it...to see if she was real...

The ramming in the young woman's chest nearly screeched to a halt as the singer who had begun to lean so closely to her own face flipped over violently to vomit the entirety of his breakfast and lunch over the side of the Sunball. Her Romeo...in all his unexpected glory. Her eyes rose up at the massive chuckling shadow peering down at the view from up so high. Noodle's blush curled deeper to her shoulders. Of course he had to witness _that_ of all moments. However, his voice was far from joyous when he squatted down, 2D weakly glancing his way while wiping the sides of his mouth with his right thumb and pointer. "Hey, babygirl...do me a favor and get Captain Nutjob...there's somethin' off the horizon headin' this way, an' it don't look good."

...

**I hand the baton to All hail the mighty Shim. **


	5. All hail the mighty Shim

**Wordwryhta: Ooo, 's getting good now, y'all. If you want to be a part of all of this, then the opportunity is still available. Just pm me or -bammie-, and it's all yours.**

**All hail the Mighty Shim: Hey everyone! It's been about 4 or 5 years, but I'm back in the Gorillaz category! I'm trying to get back in the game, so I'm sorry if this chapter isn't so good. I need to get used to doing this again. Anyway, here it goes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Noodle quickly glanced over to where the large drummer was pointing. There was, indeed, a rather large object on the horizon. As the object came closer, her heart slowly sank as she realized what was approaching the island. How it be? she thought. This place is supposed to be completely isolated! The furthest point from any land mass!

"R-Russel…..Is that what I think it is?" asked Noodle. "How did they find this place?"

Russel looked down at her again with his hand resting on top of his bald head and said, "I'm willin' to guess that it has something to do with Murdoc and his damn obsession with publicity. He said he came to this island to escape from everyone who wanted to mount his head over their fireplace, and yet, he continues to tell everyone where the fuck he is. That son of a…."

"Russel! We need to do something! I'll get Murdoc to start the shark submarine so we can get away. If you lay low in the water, they probably won't even notice you're here and you can just follow the submarine."

"Alright baby girl, but just be quick about it. They're coming at us pretty fast." Russel was ducked down into the ocean again as Noodle started to run back toward the building.

Before going inside, Noodle squatted down and shook the arm of poor, sick 2-D. "We need to get inside and find Murdoc now! Come on!"

2-D slowly started to get up, his legs shaking as he did so. He was clutching his stomach and looked rather dizzy. The pressure in his head felt like a beach ball was being inflated inside of his skull, and he was trying to comprehend what was going on around him. He looked at Noodle's face and saw that she was frightened. That scared expression was enough motivation to get him to follow her and keep her safe. 2-D would do anything to protect her and make her feel happy again.

"O-ok...," He said, "Jus' gimme a minute." He slowly wobbled over to her and squeezed her hand lightly, causing light shades of pink to appear on both of their faces. "Awright. I'm right 'ere. Take me wherever you wan'."

"Um…ok," replied Noodle, obviously nervous about his contact with her hand. Coming back to reality, she said, "Come on! Let's find Murdoc!" She quickly pulled him along, his spaghetti legs barely being able to keep up with her super soldier speed.

After heading up the lift, through the lobby, past the book case, down the almost infinite stairway, and through the door at the bottom, Noodle and 2-D finally made it to Murdoc's secret base of operations. Murdoc was busy staring at TV screens until he heard a thud by the doorway. 2-D, who shouldn't have been running so fast in his sick state, passed out on the floor.

"Dumbarse," said Murdoc. "Can't even 'andle a damn set o' stairs. Pathetic."

"Murdoc!" said Noodle. "Russel and I looked out on the horizon and saw…."

"A ship?" he replied. "I know. That's wot I was looking at befo' you an' pretty boy came in."

"Are they…?"

"Yep. Bloody pirates. They 'ave no interest in fat man an' dullard. They're after one 'o us, love."

Noodle's stomach felt very uneasy. Just the thought that the pirates were coming back for her brought back the horrid memories of her perilous four-year journey to the floating piece of plastic "paradise". She had already escaped death's grip more times than she could count, more times than someone her age should have had to. At that point, Noodle just wanted to keep her bandmates safe by getting them away from those bastards and escaping to a place where they would never be bothered by anyone ever again. A place where she could relax and cuddle up with the man that she loved. Love, she thought. There's that word again. At that moment, Noodle realized that Murdoc tossed a rather large machine gun in her direction and she caught it at just the right moment. He also tossed one to 2-D, who woke up just in time for the weapon to deliver a heavy blow to his back, knocking him onto his stomach again. Noodle didn't like where this was going.

The bass player turned around to face them and said, "Meet me on the beach. I'll go get the robot. Nobody's takin' MY beach. They'll 'ave to pry it from me when I'm dead! This is WAR."

**K3RR W33ZY, it's your baby, now!**


	6. K3RR W33ZY

**Wordwryhta: Loving this. It's getting so good, don't you agree? If you do, then click that review button at the bottom of the page and tell the writers what you think. I know they would LOVE some review loving.**

**K3RR W33ZY: I see I was left with the action scene so I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. I hope you all find it entertaining.**

**Disclaimer- I'm a 16 year old white kid, so I don't own shit.**

When Noodle and 2D ran back out on the beach sporting shotguns what they saw made their jaws drop. Murdoc was hanging out of the top hatch of a tank, circa WWII, and 2D's helmet from the Dirty Harry video was tipped to the side on his head. Saturated bullet holsters strapped across his back gleamed in the hazy sunlight and his squared shoulders let the oncoming enemy know he was set. Noodle swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and trudged toward Murdoc and the tank. 2D stumbled for her hand and dragged his feet beside her.

The four of them all lined up on the shoreline looked like a broken fence. There was no way in hell they were going to win against what looked like a high jacked barge, five armed gunmen in a boat, and a fighter jet. Noodle decided to count her blessings in the clouds that floated across the sky dreamily, without nary a care in the world. She sighed and stood up to her full height. 2D glanced down at his little love and smiled before tightening his grip on her hand. Love filled her heart with a warm and gooey feeling.

Somewhere underneath them a torpedo shattered into the underside of the floating landfill. Murdoc's teeth clattered in his head as he looked around in bewilderment. "Where the hell is Tubby? He should be eating that torpedo not letting it hit us!" was his hiss as he slipped into the hatch. There was a clicking and pneumonic locking as the tank swiveled and cranked into position. Noodle and 2D shoved their fists into their ears and dove into the sand for cover as Murdoc fired into the water. The aftermath was a wave that capsized the pirates' boat. Murdoc resurfaced from the tank and gave the frantically paddling enemies the finger.

He turned to the cyborg and made a series of complicated hand gestures. The cyborg nodded and opened its mouth so that a mortar could roll slowly forward from it. With a bang that rocked the island the mortar flew into the air in an arc of smoke. It narrowly missed the fighter jet which fired back in response. Noodle pumped her legs in the opposite direction. Both her and 2D were thrown to the ground upon impact. They exchanged wide eyed stares and shakily resumed a standing position.

"I'm scared 2D." Noodle murmured, biting her lip as she squinted up at the circling fighter jet.

"I'm way beyond that love." 2D breathed and shouldered the shotgun once again. The two of them clutched hands and joined the tank at the waters edge.

Murdoc had made another hit into the barge but the giant ship wasn't sinking. He made curses and loaded again when an idea struck him. "Cyborg," he screamed jumping out the hatch. "Self destruct!" Murdoc covered his ears and ducked into the tank. Unfortunately, he forgot to tell Noodle and 2D of his plans.

When the smoke had cleared and Noodle lay coughing and spluttering in the sand all was still and silent. Blood poured from one of her ears and the side of her mouth as she tried to stand up. Her knees had given out so they offered no purchase. Noodle's entire body hurt and dust surrounded her at every side. She couldn't see a thing, no one, nothing. Wait…no one…Where were they anyway?

**I'll leave the rest up to WannaBeStacie. (:**


	7. WannaBeStacie

**Wordwryhta: Hmmm, if you guys keep going in this direction, I'm going to have to change the genre. But that's okay!**

**:D**

**Getting good, ain't it? So much more to come. Sign up if you dare. MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**WannaBeStacie: Right, erm, cheers for picking me K3RR W33ZY. I wasn't sure how she wanted it to go, but I put my input into the story, so, yeah...read on...**

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2D slowly opened his eyes and saw a massive amount of orangey-grey smoke. He sat up with his legs straight in front of him. He had an amazingly strong throbbing pain in his head, but he didn't have any of his pain pills. His left arm felt even worse. He didn't want to look at it. He was scared of what his arm would look like. He looked around and tried to see beyond the fog. There was a figure. It looked like Noodle. She looked like she was sitting down. She didn't look in a very comfortable position. He wanted to run over to her and scoop her up, but he knew he couldn't. Everywhere hurt. 2D tried to call out to her, but his throat was dry and sore and wouldn't let him say anything. He cleared his throat and was about to call out again, in hope that his voice wouldn't fail him this time, but something hard hit him heavy on the head, causing him to fall back down, unconscious.

Noodle wiped the blood from her mouth. She was sure she just saw 2D in the distance, but something fell from the sky and hit him on the head. Then, he disappeared. The plastic paradise seemed to be covered in dark orange smoke. But...how could that be possible, the cyborg replica of herself had just self-destructed and caused a massive explosion. What happened to the plastic?

She wanted to stand up and run to 2D, grab onto his hand and make sure he was okay, but she knew she couldn't, her legs wouldn't let her move. She was now even more scared than she was before, maybe somewhere around where 2D said he was. She looked at her knees, they were grazed and bloody, it didn't look as sore as it actually was. She grabbed onto her right knee and squeezed, hoping it would stop the pain, but it wouldn't, it just made it worse and cause more blood to spill.

She attempted again to stand up, but only her left leg would hold her weight. She limped over to where she thought she saw 2D. She coughed a few times, but then fell. Her right knee hit the ground first, with all her weight forced on top of it. She yelped out at the severe pain. She bit her tongue and stood up again.

She collapsed next to 2D and stared at the blood pouring from his left arm and forehead. There was a metal hand, probably from the cyborg, which lay beside 2D's head, which must have knocked him on the head. She put her hand on his chest and shook. She knew that she shouldn't have shaken him. Her training had stated that she should never shake the body of someone lying down and unconscious, there could be a chance on spinal injury which could be made worse. But...she couldn't help herself. She wanted him to wake up and him to hold her, tell her everything was going to be okay. She started to tear up.

"2D, 2D." She whispered. "Wake up, it's Noodle."

She knew too well that he wouldn't wake up like that, she wasn't that age anymore. She knew that he wouldn't just wake up like he did when he was messing with her when she was younger. He was still breathing, but she knew that he wouldn't wake up to her voice. She lay her head on the ground beneath them and cried, the pain she was feeling was unbearable. She just wanted to wake 2D up and tell him that she was hurt; it would always make it feel a little less sore when she was younger. She soon too passed out.

Murdoc opened the hatch. The fog wouldn't let him see very much. He regretted his decision. Why would I ruin Plastic Beach, my Plastic Beach with that cyborg? Now I have no cyborg, no Plastic Beach, and I'm not too sure what has happened to my singer and my guitarist. He thought.

"Stupid robot," he muttered under his breath.

But, he did notice something there, some of Plastic Beach.

Once he stepped foot on what he thought was left of his plastic getaway, he noticed that there was more of it left than he expected. Maybe the cyborg self-destruct wasn't as strong as he had made it to be.

He cautiously took each step around the land he was walking on, stepping lightly in front of himself and then putting his entire weight on the leg. As the smoke started to clear away ever-so-slightly, he noticed that there was a shadow, quite close to him. As he walked towards it, he realized that it was two people, and those two people had to be Noodle and 2D.

He looked at the two of them, lying there, on the ground. He looked up and noticed that the smoke had cleared a lot more, and that his home was still there. He was in shock. How could everything still be there? He shook that thought off and decided to check if his band mates were still alive. They had both overcome some pretty brutal challenges in life, but was could they handle this on top of all that?

Murdoc knelt down and saw 2D's chest rise and fall, but Noodle wasn't moving. He turned her onto her back and put his ear up to her nose...there was no sound. He put his fingers on the side of her neck to check if there was still a pulse, which there was.

He didn't want to do what he had to do, and if Russel found out, he would be one of Russel's pancakes for breakfast, but CPR was what Noodle needed.

"Don't tell Russ'." He muttered as he placed his fingers over Noodle's nose and opened her mouth. He was about to lower his head down to her level when something pulled him from the collar of his shirt and hoisted him into the air.

"What d'you think you're doing?" asked the oversized Russel. He had Murdoc between his index finger and thumb.

Murdoc squirmed, "Piss off lards!" he shouted. "D'you want her to die or something?"

Russel raised an eyebrow. "Who?" he asked.

"NOODLE!" squealed 2D.

Murdoc struggled to turn around and see the now conscious singer. "Get off me you fat prick!" shouted Murdoc.

Russel gently lowered Murdoc to the ground.

2D was frantic. He didn't know what to do, but he did know how to give CPR. He shook her and tried to wake her up, but she didn't react, she just shifted from his shoving. 2D then noticed that she wasn't breathing.

"'D, don't do that!" Russel said. "You need to give her CPR."

2D nodded and turned to Noodle. He was scared. What if she woke up and he carried on with what he was doing? What if he started to kiss her?

But what if she wouldn't wake up? What would he do then?

He pinched her nose with his fingers and opened her mouth. He then closed the gap and breathed into her mouth. Her lips were so soft touching his. He took his head away from her and placed both his hands on her chest. He hadn't notice it before, but she had really developed, not as much compared to other young ladies, but compared to when he saw her before. He pressed hard on her chest eight times, and then brought his mouth to hers again, pinching her nose.

He continued this several times, until she finally coughed while he pressed on her chest. He then noticed his left arm, it was bleeding and swollen.

Noodles eyes fluttered open. "2D." She whispered.

2D put his right arm under her head and lifted it off the ground. "Yeah, lil' luv?" he stared into her half open eyes, while she looked back.

"Did you..." she tailed off, hoping 2D would finish her sentence.

2D nodded. "Yeah, Noods. I saved you." He whispered back.

"RUSS'" shouted Murdoc, just as bullets came flying through the air towards them. "We're not done yet!"

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**My attention has been drawn to 3R15UKOUM31, luvin the name, btw**


	8. 3R15UK0M31

**Wordwryhta: I don't know about y'all, but I'm having a blast with this. Everyone is doing such a great job. I'm going to change the genre, though. Silly kids. Enjoy 3RISUK0UM31's submission:**

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The enemy planes quickly closed in on their targets and opened fire. Bullets rained all around the rubble of Plastic Beach, throwing up small splashes where they hit the water.

Murdoc, having lost his helmet long ago, ducked down into the miraculously-intact tank just as a round of bullets clanged metallically against the sides. A loud _chuk-chuk-chuk_ sound followed immediately afterwards as the tank took aim, and after a loud _BANG_, one plane was quickly shot down, plummeting into the ocean and exploding in burst of flame.

Noodle's head had cleared enough for her to realize that although she had survived one close encounter with death, she and 2D were completely exposed to the enemies' gunfire; they had to get somewhere safer, fast. She was hurt; 2D was hurt; so much blood…She could taste the metallic tang in her mouth and her face itched where some of the red liquid had dribbled out of her ear and caked onto her skin. She stood on still-shaky legs and looked around; her gaze landed instantly on the wounded singer.

2D was sitting up, cradling the bloody mess of his left arm; she thought she saw sharp white fragments of shattered bone against all the red.

Her own survival suddenly wasn't first priority anymore; even over the din of the planes and the machine guns and the shotgun Murdoc was now using, she could hear 2D whimpering quietly in pain.

Shelter. They needed shelter. Now. Her gaze settled instantly on the distant lighthouse. Perfect.

She quickly surveyed the fight. Russel had risen out of the water and was swatting the planes out of the sky as if they were gnats. For a moment, she almost thought she was back in Kong, watching a monster movie with 2D, where the huge sea monster would rise up and roar and destroy everything in its path.

_No time for that_, she thought, turning to the injured 2D.

"2D," she shouted over the noise. "Can you walk? We need to get to the lighthouse!"

He tried his best to smile past the pain, show her the gap-toothed grin he knew she loved. Even now, with pirate jets surrounding them and Plastic Beach in ruins, even with his left arm shattered, he didn't want her to worry. So he smiled. "I-I fink so, love."

She reached out and took a hold of his good arm and pulled him up, the gangly singer nearly tripping over his own feet. Not one to dawdle, Noodle instantly took off, her hand still tightly grasping 2D's wrist, her short fingers barely managing to completely close around it. The lighthouse was only about a hundred yards away. But the relative safety of the tower felt much farther away when bullets were pouring around them, clacking like hailstones as they hit the plastic, and sending up sharp-edged bits of debris all around the fleeing pair.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they made it to the lighthouse. Noodle quickly tried the doorknob; she swore in any other situation she would've cried in frustration to find it locked. But now the adrenaline was pulsing through her body, and 2D was losing blood quickly; something as flimsy as a locked door wasn't going to stop her. With one well-aimed kick, the door shattered inward as if it were no stronger than glass. She was relieved to find that other than a few fine, stinging cuts from flying bits of plastic, they had managed to escape further harm.

2D had a vague impression of being dragged into some place cool and dark and definitely quieter than it had been outside. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on anymore; his body felt heavy, his arm was dangling uselessly (and painfully) at his side like a limp rag, and a migraine worse than anything he'd ever experienced before was sending colored spots across his vision. It seemed like time had slowed down; even the shots outside seemed to be getting quieter, less frequent. The buzz of the planes had all but disappeared. It was just him and Noodle, wherever they were. He had a vague feeling of falling and heard Noodle calling his name as his vision blacked out; he only managed one clear thought before he lost consciousness:

_It doesn't matter where we are, really; not as long as we're both there.

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**Derishious, can you take the heat?**


	9. Persephone Perez Pott

**Wordwryhta: Phew! That was an ordeal. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted, but, as you can tell since Derishious isn't the author, we had a bit of trouble giving this chapter an author. Much thanks for Persephone for saving the day. I can't believe the direction this story is going in. It's getting so exciting, no? **

**Before I give the mic to Persephone, I am happy to announce that the second chapter of _The Waker and the Sleeper_ is well underway, and I have finally found my new direction for _The Last Girl!_ Expect to see an update for both in the next week or so. (I's so ascited!) Plus, the next _Sequellum_ is in the planning process, so expect a triumphant return from my psychotic hiatus**

**:D And now, without further ado!**

**Persephone Perez Pott: Here it is! chapter 9!**

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Noodle rushed to catch 2D as he fell unconscious. She checked to see if he was breathing, and to her relief he was but it was shallow. She then decided to check his pulse but couldn't find it so she put her ear to his chest. In any other situation the proximity of her body to his would make her heart rate soar, but all she could think of is whether or not he is alive. She heard his heart but it was beating very slowly. Noodle then noticed that Stuart had lost a lot of blood. She considered giving him her blood; she was a type O negative after all, the universal donor, but she was losing a lot of blood her self.

"I don't want to die, but I don't want him to die either because I love him!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "Wait a second," she thought, "I love him? Yes, I love 2D-kun, with all my heart!"

She knew he needed blood immediately but had no idea how to get her blood in him or how to make him stop bleeding. She silently cursed her military training, wishing she had been taught to heal rather than kill. Suddenly, an idea popped up.

"Maybe Russel-sama will know what to do!" she said hopefully, "I must find him! But what if he refuses to let me make such a sacrifice?"

Noodle resolved to herself that she'll just have to persuade Russ to let her. She was about to set out to search for him but was hesitant to leave 2D alone. She decided he needed something soft under his head, so she looked around the lighthouse for anything suitable. She came across a box on the wall with a blanket inside. The box said that it's to put out fires with. She laughed at the thought and quickly proceeded to place the folded blanket under Stuart's head before leaving the lighthouse. As soon as she was outside she started running, expecting to be shot at, but she stopped as she noticed that it was quiet and there weren't any bullets flying through the air at her. Noodle was wary at first because she wasn't sure if it was the pirates or her band-mates. How ever, the urgency of her purpose drove her to cry out for Russel and Murdoc. She heard some sort of noise from the other end of the "island" and against her better judgment went towards it, in the hopes of finding her "family". As she got closer to the sound she could hear it more clearly. She distinctly heard voices that sounded similar to Russ and Murdoc saying "Baby-gurl?" and "Noods?" She frantically called back to them "Guys, I'm over here! Quick, come quick!"

"Noods, yer alive!" Murdoc said with relief as he approached her, "Oi, but where's faceache?"

"Baby-gurl!" Russel's large form shouted after rising out of the ocean, "What happened to you an' where's 'D?"

"爆発。 灯台。 意識不明。 血が必要です。" Noodle said rapidly.

"Whoa, slow your roll baby-gurl," Russel demanded, "I can't understand you at all."

"Sorry Russel-sama," Noodle apologized, "Murdoc's robot exploded and I woke up after the blast and found 2D-kun unconscious but I woke him up when I realized that the battle wasn't over and brought him to the lighthouse where he fell unconscious again and he's not breathing good and his heart is slow. He lost a lot of blood and I think he has a concussion."

"We gonna have ta get on tha emergency frequency and hope to God that there's some kind of Naval vessel with some medical supplies nearby."" Russel stated.

"2D-kun is not well and there isn't much time before he…" Noodle pleaded, "He needs blood and I want to give him mine!"

"Baby-gurl if you do that you'll die!" Russel shouted, worried, "You've lost a lot of blood your self!"

"Russel-sama, I'm fine, you worry too much." Noodle's voice wavered as she almost fell, caught by Murdoc and held steady.

"Look at you, you can barely stand," Russel scolded, "You ain't doin' nothin'!"

"But I'm the only one who can save him 'cause I'm type O negative, the universal donor!" she begged.

"Don't argue with me cause there's some one else in this band who can save him," Russel said, "The one person with his exact blood type, which gives us a better chance of saving 'D…"

Russel stopped abruptly when he saw some one trying to sneak away in the shadows.

"Murdoc!" Russel bellowed, "Just where in da hell do you think you're going?"

"Uhhh, I was just gonna get th' phone." Murdoc said nervously.

"Yea right, do I look like I was born yesterday?" Russel said with an attitude, "Wait, don't even answer that."

"Murdoc has the same type as 2D-kun?" Noodle asked with shock and a little horror.

"Yea, when he had hit 'D wit his car and 'D was in the hospital, 'D needed blood but they didn't have any more for his type that day." explained Russel, "The people at the hospital had a file on Murdoc and saw that he had the right type so they told him if he didn't donate 'D would die and Murdoc didn't want to go to jail for murder so he complied."

"How do you know all this Russel-sama?" Noodle asked while cringing inside.

"'D had told me bout it once," Russel said, "Now Murdoc, you gonna help save 'D by givin' him yo' blood?"

"Well, I..." Murdoc started but stopped to think about it.

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**A/N: ooooooo, total cliffy! Oh, and the stuff Noodle said is "Explosion. Lighthouse. Unconscious. Needs blood."**

**Alice Everafter, it's your turn at bat.**


	10. Alice Everafter

**Wordwryhta: Oh. My. Goodness. That's all I have to say about this chapter. Thanks to Alice for getting this one up so quickly and so expertly. Fantastic job, hun!**

"Um…You know wot, face-ache will probably be fine. I'm just gonna go over here-"Murdoc proceeded to run as fast as he could, his smoke-ruined lungs slowing his pace.

"Nice try, Muds." Murdoc made it a good 30 ft. before Russel's oversized hand shot out and grabbed him around the waist. He kicked and struggled and whined, sounding a child throwing a tantrum.

"Hardly dignified behavior for a 40 sumthin' year-old man, Muds. Just sayin'." The green-skinned bassist merely hissed as his reply, crossing his arms dejectedly. Once Russel was sure he wouldn't escape his grip, he knelt down and extended an open-hand to Noodle and the unconscious 2D.

"It'll be faster if I carry 'D. You might want to run, though. I suspect that super-soldier thing you got going on would make you a better runner that me." Noodle nodded in agreement and gently pulled 2D onto his massive palm.

"Be careful with him." She said quietly, touching his face before stepping off Russel's hand.

"Of course I will, you know that baby-girl." He said, a grin spreading across his face.

A small smile touched her features as well. It was amazing how Russel could manage to cheer her up, even in a bleak situation like this. "I do know. Put 2D through the window and into Murdoc's study, I'll meet you there."

Russel nodded, protectively cupping his fingers around 2D's unconscious form. He stood up and began to run-walk, his every step shaking the island.

Noodle, knowing she should hurry, began to run towards the building. The thick smoke and smell of gunpowder was heavy in the air, making her eyes sting, as well as making her choke and cough. Wiping the smoke-induced tears from her eyes, she noticed how close she was to her destination.

She started to make a final sprint when something grabbed her ankle, causing her to trip. "Gah!" she exclaimed as her face met plastic ground. She whipped her head around, trying to see what caused her fall. A hand gripped her ankle tightly, bits of wire sticking out where the hand met wrist. The person connected to the hand looked up, a glowing red eye meeting with her emerald one.

Noodle gasped softly "Cyborg. I thought you were… "

"Terminated? As did I-I. However-er, I do not h-h-have long before I shut down. Blowing one's se-self up is not b-best for your life expectancy." Cyborg was indeed looking bad. Half her ribcage was missing, oil and machinery spilling out, mimicking blood and organs. One hand was barely connected to her wrist, and the other was missing three fingers. Her Legs were bent and twisted at awkward angles. Noodle also noticed that her voice was off. Her speech glitched occasionally, and sounded more machine-like than usual.

"Listen, Cyborg, I wish I could help. Really. Maybe we could fix you later- but right now I need to help 2D."

Cyborg's sparking head cocked to the side. "I sa-a-a-aw Russel run b-b-by with him. He looked as th-though he had lo-o-ost a lot of blood."

"Yes, and I need to leave so I can perform a blood transfusion immediately. " Anxiousness crept into her voice as she said it. Who knows many minutes of 2D's life had been lost as she talked with Cyborg Noodle?

"D-d-do you have th-he knowledge t-to pre-form-form-form this act?" Cyborg said as her voice box continued to glitch.

"…Not particularly, no. I figured I'd make it up along the way. There's nothing else I can do." Noodle just hoped she wouldn't botch it.

"I know how. M-M-Mr. Niccals made sure to include medical-cal knowledge i-i-in my da-database."

"But you said it yourself, you don't have long. And you're hardly in any condition to perform a medical procedure."

"Yes, but I c-c-c-can give my kn-knowledge to y-y-you." Cyborg managed to get herself up into a sitting position, causing the oil to spill from her wounds faster.

"I can't exactly take a crash course at this very moment." She said, irritated. Noodle knew it wasn't Cyborg's fault that they were in a limited time frame, but she had to get to 2D!

"N-no, not teach you. I mean di-di-directly transfer th-the knowledge from my m-m-mind to yours. I have your DNA in m-me, so our brains sh-should be com-com-compatible." Cyborg leaned towards Noodle with her arms outstretched, as small wires with needles attached extended from her fingertips.

Noodle leaned away. "…Is it safe?"

Cyborg nodded. "I c-calculate only a 15.5% chance of per-permanent brain d-d-damage.

Noodle sighed. Well, it was better than rushing in unprepared. "Fine. Do it."

Cyborg placed her hands on both sides of Noodle's head. The small needles burrowed through her skin, through her skull, and into her brain. Noodle's body stiffened and her eyes widened as a rush of images came flooding into her head. Her mind struggled to keep up with all the information it was receiving, trying to store it. Only seconds later it stopped. Cyborg removed her hands from the her original's head. Noodle bent over, gasping, trying not to throw up.

"O-o-operation complete." Cyborg stated. Noodle looked up at her replica, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Thank you for helping me. I may be able to save 2D now."

Cyborg gave a rare genuine smile as oil started leaking from her mouth. "Please w-watch over Mr. Pot, , and Mr. N-N-Niccals for me." A shower of sparks erupted from her neck as she slumped over, unmoving. A trail of smoke came from her right ear as the guitarist turned her over. Cyborg's eyes were open and looking to the sky, a smile frozen on her face. Noodle placed her fingers on her replica's eyelids, sliding them shut. It was the least she could do.

Standing up, she continued her sprint to the building. Her head throbbed in pain, but now she was armed with the knowledge to save 2D.

Russel continued to stand by the window, his face at level with the top-story room. He had been waiting by Murdoc's study for almost fifteen minutes, wondering when Noodle would arrive. Where was she? He was sure she would have been here before him. He fretted about her being caught by pirates, and would have checked on her, but he couldn't leave 'D. His condition was growing worse and worse. Murdoc, still In Russel's grip, just continued to bitch about "having to give his precious blood to the dullard".

Before Russel could worry anymore, Noodle burst into the study. She looked like hell. "Baby-girl! What happened? What took you so long?"

She began to walk to the window, holding various things in her hands. "I'll tell you later. I have a blood transfusion to perform."

"You know how?" Russel asked, surprised.

"Well, I didn't. But now I do. Like I said, I tell you later. Oh, and could please place Murdoc inside the room?"

Russel nodded and extended the arm with Murdoc in it through the window, dropping him in the room.

Murdoc landed rather ungracefully, muttering what sounded like a stream of curses at Russel as he stood up. Noodle held up the object in her hand.

Murdoc realized it was a bottle, and squinted to read the label… "chloroform" it read. Shit- chloroform? He thought as Noodle unscrewed the cap, and shook some of it onto cloth.

"No no no, hell no-" Murdoc started to say. However, he was cut off, as Noodle moving with surprising speed and placed the cloth over his mouth.

"Nh… fuck…" He mumbled through the cloth as he slumped towards the ground.

"Russel, put Murdoc in the recliner, then put it next to 2D by the couch. Please." Noodle said as she started readying the necessary tools for the transfusion. A small clear plastic tube, some hollow needles, and antiseptic. Putting on pair of blue plastic gloves, she picked up the tube with a needle on both ends, and stuck one side into the vein on 2D's arm. She stuck the other one into Murdoc's vein.

Noodle bit her lip as she watched the blood slowly flow through the tube into 2D's arm. It would take another hour or so to finish the procedure, and only time would tell if he was going to make it out of this alright.

* * *

**Alice Everafter: I thank Wordwryhyta and -bammie- for coming up with this collaborative Gorillaz story idea. I also thank Persephone Perez Pott, thanks for leaving me with an exciting cliffhanger to work with. :) Oh, and take note: I know nothing about blood transfusions.**

**Midnight Sanctity, you're up to bat.**


	11. SweetCherryCandy

**Wordwryhta-I can't believe this story is on the move again. So sorry that it took so long to get the next chapter posted. It was almost an act of God to find someone to write it! If you're still interested in writing a chapter, it's still up for grabs. I'll be letting the next candidate know by e-mail that their turn is up.**

**SweetCherryCandy-Okay first, I would like to thank -bammie- and Wordwryhta for coming up with this idea. Second, I would like to thank all the authors that participated in this for making this story go so well. This will be fun. Enjoy! :D **

* * *

Noodle paced back and forth in the study, her head swimming with thoughts. She sighed with worry almost every other minute. What if it was to late? What if he didn't make it? What was going to happen!

She inhaled deeply and nervously glanced at the clock. Only forty minutes had passed by. Dammit. Why was time going by so slow? Was God trying to torture her?

"Noods," Russel said through the window, his milk white eyes focusing on the guitarist. Noodle slightly flinched, forgeting the large drummer was even there.

"Yes Russel," she asked.

"Ya worring to much baby-girl. Don't over-stress yourself," Russel answered calmy. Noodle inhaled deeply again before sighing.

"I can't Russel, I just can't. What if we're to late? I wouldn't be able to live if he didn't make it," Noodle said.

"Noods-"

"I mean, what would happen to the band, to the world, to me?" Noodle asked no one.

"Baby-girl," Russel said, his voice level increasing to get the young women's attention. Noodle snapped out of her thoughts and into reality, glancing at the drummer. "He'll be fine."

"How do you know?" Noodle asked.

"I just know Noods," Russel said warmly, trying to cease the girl's, or better yet women's, stress. Noodle nodded and calmly sat next to 2D. She ran her fingers through his azure blue hair and sighed with slight worry. Russel had never let her down before, why would he now? After all, she had already tenderly cleaned and wrapped the singers wounds with bangades. Same thing with Murdoc.

Noodle suddnely glanced at the bassist, who was still unconsious from the chloroform.

"He's going to be pissed when he wakes up, isn't he?" Noodle asked.

"Most likely," Russel said, nodding in agreement. Right at that moment, Murdoc stirred in his sleep. His mismatched eyes opened slowly and he gazed around the area.

"Wozzgoingon?" He asked, his words slurred. He furrowed his brows, but slightly winced when he realized some of his blood was being sucked from his veins. He growled when he remembered what happened about an hour ago and glanced at Noodle.

"Noodle," he said. Noodle hummed, letting him know he had her attention. "When is t'is soddin' blood thing gunna be ova?"

"In a few minutes," Noodle answered, shrugging. Murdoc groaned and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"It betta be quick, 'cause t'is feels really weird," he grunted. Noodle slightly smiled.

"It's almost done Muds," Russel said, focusing on the clock.

"I hope so," Noodle sighed. She continued running her fingers through the singers blue locks. Her heart slightly fluttered from the feeling of her fingers brushing through his soft hair.

"I dun't like t'is!" Murdoc whined, trying to block out the feeling of some his blood being drained from his veins.

"Stop complaining Muds!" Russel said, annoyed with the bassist behavior.

"It feels weird!" Murdoc complained. "I regre' teh day yew foun' ou' I 'ad teh same blood as dullard!"

"Shut up," Russel said, rolling his eyes. Murdoc continued complaining, everyone ignoring him, while the other two waited for the singer to awake. Noodle leaned her head back, against the slightly soft fabric of the sofa, and felt tears sting her eyes. She loved the singer, she couldn't bear to think of what would happen if he didn't wake up. She closed her eyes and leaned her head down, so her lips were less than an inch away from 2D's ear.

"Stuart," she whispered faintly, "please wake up. I can't live without you, please don't leave me."

"I could never leave you," 2D whispered very faintly. Noodle snapped her head up, staring down at 2D, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

"2D," she asked. 2D slightly stirred in his sleep, trying to raise his hand to rub his eyes, but hissed when he felt a sharp pain stab into his arm.

"Try the other arm," Noodle said, hope rising inside of her. 2D obeyed and used his right hand to rub the sleep away from his eyes.

"Noods," he groaned, his black orbs connecting with her jade ones, "is 'at yew?"

"Yes," Noodle said happily, "2D, I can't believe it."

"Faceache," Murdoc said, "finally." Murdoc carefully pulled the needle from his arm and dropped it onto the floor.

"Hey 'D," Russel said, "nice ta see ya." 2D smiled and used his good arm to wave at the drummer, using all the strength he had to sit up. Noodle's grin widened and she gentally wrapped her arms around 2D's skinny torso.

"I almost thought I lost you!" She said. She furrowed her brows when he only remained frozen and didn't hug her back. She released him and looked at him, his face was pale and he was looking out the window and into the ocean. Russel and Murdoc were the same way.

"What's wrong?" Noodle asked. She slowly gazed out into the ocean and gasped at what she saw.

* * *

**  
DUN DUN DUN! I leave this to who ever is writing the next chapter. YAY! Next chapter! :D**


	12. First Cat in Space

**Wordwryhta: Phew, forgot about this one, didn't ya. Well, it's back! YAY FOR SLOWBOAT!**

**First Cat in Space: I've done it! Sorry for the long wait. **

* * *

A swirling black cloud was hurtling towards Plastic Beach. It was gigantic, coming at the island from all angles - there was no escaping it.

Noodle's emerald eyes hardened as she glanced at the still forms of her band mates. Murdoch's cigarette fell out from his cool lips, and his steely grip on his rum bottle loosened so much it clattered to the floor with a smash. Russel's head had turned towards the cloud - she could imagine his milky white eyes widening. Suddenly, she became aware that a hand had slipped into hers, and, looking down, she saw 2D staring up at her with those infinitely dark orbs.

"N-Noodle?" He said; she realised he was trembling slightly. "Dat ain't the - -" He gulped.

The Boogie Man was getting ready for his final blow.

It was silent in the room, except for the rumbling sound of the black cloud rolling nearer, and the crackle and spit of the fire down below on the beach.

Military thinking took over Noodle's brain as she rushed to the window. Pressing her nose against the glass, she made calculations.

"It's about fifty-two miles away, and it's travelling at around one hundred and twelve miles per hour… It'll be here in about forty-five minutes." She turned swiftly on her heel. "How can we escape?"

Murdoc stepped forward towards the window too and glanced around.

"It's coming from all angles, Noods." He leant his forehead onto the cold glass. "We're doomed!" Pause. "Where's my rum?"

"We're all about to die and all you can think about is rum?" Noodle said, flinging her arms into the air.

"Who wants to die sober?" He cackled, and stepping over the smashed bottle on the floor below him, he went to the mini fridge and plucked another bottle of Malibu out of it.

"It's coming from all angles…" 2D muttered, trying to shift himself.

"No, lie down Stu." She walked over to him and gently pushed him back against his seat. Slowly, she let herself slide down the edge of the sofa, where 2D put his good arm around her shoulders.

She gazed out towards the descending cloud with a melancholy sigh.

"How are we going to escape this one?" She muttered quietly.

"Up."

Her eyes glanced towards Russel, who was looking back into the room.

"What do you mean 'up'?"

He pointed to the sky with a long finger. "Up. We go up."

Realisation hit her like a bullet in the back.

"Of course! It's the only way…" She shot up, and ran back to the window. Looking up, she grinned. "It's clear! Murdoc - do you have a helicopter or a plane?"

Murdoc, who had been spread across another sofa with his bottle of rum cradled in his arms, looked up wearily.

"What d'ja want a plane for, Noodle?" He asked. Luckily, he wasn't too drunk… yet.

Noodle grabbed the white bottle out of his green hands.

"If we can't escape by boat, and we can't dig underground… we're just going to have to fly out of here."


	13. Classicsrule

**Wordwryhta: OMG! I can't believe that someone picked this up. I am so happy I could cry! Thanks to Classicsrule for a fantastic chapter and...can you believe it?...A FANTASTIC ENDING TO THE STORY! Such a beautiful ending and such a beautiful bit of fluffiness. Hugs and kisses, Classics, and thanks to everyone who contributed: -bammie-, Psychic City, Plastic Emotion, All hail the mighty Shim, K3RRW33ZY, WannaBeStacie, 3R15UK0M31, Persephone Perez Pott, Alice Everafter, SweetCherryCandy, and First Cat in Space (Sorry if your name has changed since you posted your chapter)**

Classicsrule: Hello. Lemme just say that I hope this chapter is up to par with the other chapters, because honestly this whole story was so awesome. Thanks so much for making an activity like this, Wordwryhta! Ahem, without further ado...

XXX

"Pardon me for putting a damper on your spirits, love, but how exactly is Russ gonna fit?" Murdoc demanded flatly as the band stood before the slightly damaged but still working aeroplane that the pirates had left behind.

Noodle winced. She'd been trying to figure that out during the fifteen minutes it had taken to find the plane. "I...don't know." She admitted quietly. "But I will think of something."

"Do ya have a stash of pixie dust?" 2D, who was still slightly out of it, leaned against Noodle's shoulder, giggling like he'd inhaled nitrous oxide. Noodle affectionately squeezed his hand, not knowing if he asked the question to lighen the mood, or because he thought it was a genuine idea...Most likely the latter. "I wish we did, 2D."

She redirected her attention toward Russel. "Why did you suggest this if we have to leave you out of it? What can you do to get out of here?"

Russel smiled at her sadly. "I don't know, baby-girl. I was thinking that I could swim away and the boogeyman wouldn't bother me due to my size, but," He glanced at the ominous black clouds that used every precious second to get an inch closer to the beach, "I'm not too sure about that any more."

Noodle bit her tongue, using all of her willpower to fight back a scream of frustration. "I almost lost 2D, and now I might lose you...how on earth did it come to this?" She asked no one in particular. 2D picked himself off of Noodle's shoulder, standing on wobbly legs. He smiled at her comfortingly before wrapping his arms around her. Noodle desperately returned the hug, squeezing the vocalist against her body like her life depended on it.

"Noodle...it's going to be okay." He murmured reassuringly.

"N-No it won't..." Noodle whispered brokenly, feeling hot tears roll down her cheeks and into his shirt. 2D was the only one she ever cried in front of, as she knew that he would never berate her for it. Crying was a sign of weakness. Her enemies would take advantage of her if she showed even a flicker of fear. But 2D was no enemy, and he certainly didn't take advantage of her. He always tried to cheer her up, even when all seemed lost for her. Whenever he succeeded to put a smile on her face, she felt like everything would be okay in the end.

But not even 2D's warm embrace could stop the flow of hopeless tears this time.

"Yes it will." He stroked her back, no longer aware of the stare he was recieving from the drummer, the ebony clouds in the distance, or even the fact that they were on Plastic Beach. Noodle was in despair, and 2D felt it was his right as her love-uh, her friend- to get her hopes back up.

"2D, please," Noodle looked up at him, her emerald eyes shimmering. "Even if we do make it out alive, what will we do then? Where will we go?" She didn't know why pessimism was suddenly lying on her shoulders. She was usually very optimistic, and more often than not, SHE would be the one comforting her bandmates.

Don't lie to yourself, Noodle, you know exactly why. You're tired. Tired of running away, tired of fighting, tired of everything.

Noodle's body shook with sobs as she dove her face back into 2D's chest. It would never end. No matter where she ran, she would always be putting herself and her family in danger. How much longer would it be until they all just cracked?

"Noodle, look at me." 2D commanded, lifting her chin so that her teary eyes now focused on his black holes.

She gasped. The look on his face...it was the ferocious look he gave Murdoc when the bassist forced him to sing for his album. It was the look he gave anyone when they compared Cyborg Noodle and the real Noodle. It was the look that easily transformed him from a spaced out zombie to a pissed off skeleton.

"No matter where we go, I will always protect you." He growled, his black eyes so intense that Noodle felt like she was being sucked into them. "I lost you once, Noodle, and I can't afford to lose you again. If any one so much as touches you, they'll have their heads sawed off in the next second. No matter where we go, I'll always be there to hold you." He tenderly held her back to his chest, his rhythmic heartbeat somehow relaxing to Noodle.

Noodle felt more tears, this time from happiness. 2D always kept his word with her. To him breaking a promise he made with Noodle was like tearing apart his priceless keyboards. She knew that he meant it, and that if he was willing to give his own life to save her, then maybe, just maybe, everything would be fine. She would keep fighting, if only it meant that she could see 2D's benevolent face.

She shook her head, smiling up at him with a giggle. "When you say things like that, I believe that I will have to be the one to protect you."

2D barely heard her joking tone when he poked her nose, a goofy grin on his face. "There's the smile I was looking for, love."

"OI! If you two are done making out, we have a plane to catch!" Murdoc screeched, already in the pilots' seat and proceeding to start the worn out engines.

"Just go, you two. If I don't make it back-," Russel began solemnly.

"You will make it back." 2D interrupted. "If toxic waste and demons can't stop you, I don't think a little cigarette smoke stands a chance."

Russel smirked, wishing he could give 2D a high five without the possibility of crushing him. "Good point. See you real soon, 'D."

Noodle quickly ran up to hug her surrogate father, silently praying that 2D was right. Russel placed one gigantic hand to press her up against him, smiling warmly. "Stay safe, baby-girl." Much like 2D, all that mattered to the drummer was that Noodle stayed safe. He would die a happy man knowing that she was okay.

"Alright, now that the Soap Opera is over, why don't we all get the fuck outta here?" Murdoc smiled wryly, not even bothering to fasten his seat belt as the roar of the engine grew louder and louder.

2D shivered, fastening a few extra seat belts in case Murdoc was feeling ruthless...or just drunk. "You've flown a plane before, right?" He asked nervously.

"Well, no, but I'm sure it's the same as driving a submarine...with a few more gadgets and lot less fuel and a higher possibility of brain damage and death and..." 2D didn't need to hear anymore. He didn't know what Murdoc had put into his coffee that morning, but he felt like he needed some now.

But then he relaxed when he felt a familiar warmth slide in next to him. Noodle grinned up at him. "Ready to go?"

"Not really."

"Do not worry, I will protect you." She snickered, cuddling up to him. 2D just held her close as the plane finally started moving...faster...faster...Murdoc was planning to fall off the cliff, right?

With a howl of enthusiasm, Murdoc drove the plane right off the cliff, cheering when the plane successfully flew through the air. He pulled up on the levers, steering them above the clouds and into the harsh sunlight. Noodle waved at Russel when she saw his bulky silhouette salute to them.

Looking up at 2D, and feeling his warmth on her body made Noodle relax into him instantly. 2D blushed a little, then he gladly allowed her to snuggle into his chest. Just the loving feeling of being held close made Noodle believe that they would make it through. Russel would persevere and find them again, Murdoc would find them a place to live, and she and 2D could...well, she couldn't deny her feelings any more-they would be together.

Though for some reason, Noodle couldn't help but feel like she'd forgotten something.

"Hey, Noodle," 2D peered down at her curiously, "Did you bring the sunball?"

"...Shit."

XXX

Can't tell if ending...or not.


End file.
